Cheick
Kongo is ready to start a new chapter in his career as a member
of Bellator’s
heavyweight roster.

A longtime member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Kongo took
his career in a different direction earlier this year by signing
with Bellator and now finds himself as one of four men vying for a
shot at the organization’s heavyweight title in the Season 9
tournament.

“Of course, this is an opportunity. I didn’t get cut by the UFC. I
decided to go somewhere else. I talked to [my teammate] Quinton
[Jackson] just to know what’s going on [in Bellator], and I made my
decision,” Kongo recently told Sherdog. “That motivated me to come
in and make a deal. The UFC is a great company, but Bellator is,
too.”

Kongo will lock horns with Mark
Godbeer tonight in the Bellator
102 main event, which airs live on Spike TV and takes place at
the Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, Calif. In Godbeer, the
38-year-old meets a fellow knockout artist who has stopped six of
his eight career victims with strikes.

“Nobody can know for sure [how the fight will go], but it’s going
to be interesting, for sure,” said Kongo. “He wants to put me on
his wall and say he’s the guy who defeated Cheick
Kongo, so I won’t let him get that victory on his wall. I’m
ready for him. I know he trained his striking and ground game, but
so have I. I can’t wait.”

A 12-year-pro, Kongo said that he is also approaching Bellator’s
tournament concept with confidence. Provided he can navigate past
Godbeer, the Frenchman believes his considerable experience has
prepared him well for what lies ahead.

“Before [I joined the] UFC, when I was doing my first MMA fights, I
was in tournaments. I feel very confident about that, and I know I
can make it,” said Kongo. “People are saying it’s always the end
when you leave the UFC, but it’s not. For me, it’s not over. I’m
going to keep going in my life. It’s something new and fresh, and I
have to try, and that’s a really good thing.”